


Healing

by kristsune



Series: Waffles and Withdrawal au [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Drug Withdrawal, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, ben thinks they are both idiots but loves them anyway, diego just wants to help, even if just in his own head, in anyway he can, klaus is rambly and swears a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 05:39:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18614251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristsune/pseuds/kristsune
Summary: Klaus thinks he's finally ready to get clean, and goes to Diego for help.





	Healing

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually like 85% written like a couple weeks ago, but other prompts/ideas took root and this got put on the back burner. I love these two so much. I don't really know much drug withdrawal besides a light googling, sorry for any inaccuracies.   
> Scar is not 100% necessary to read beforehand, but it does set this up at least a little.

“Hello, Brother.” Klaus flopped down on the seat opposite of Diego. 

He barely repressed a giggle at Diego’s reaction. No one else would have seen it, but Klaus knew him well enough to see the tension in his jaw and shoulders jump at being surprised. He was honestly impressed with himself that he managed to sneak up on him.

“What the hell do you want, Klaus?” Diego was picking at fries left on his plate. Klaus tried to grab one for himself, but Diego smacked his hand before he could.

“Ow.  _ Rude _ .” Klaus shook out his hand and held it close to his chest before he started talking again. Which meant using his hands for emphasis, “What’s your problem? Won’t even share a fry with your poor,  _ hungry _ brother.” 

Diego just raised his eyebrow.

“Come  _ on _ .” Klaus dragged out the word, knowing how it both annoyed and endeared his brother at the same time. Diego sighed, but pushed his plate so it was between them. Klaus giggled happily as he dragged a fry through the ketchup and popped it in his mouth. 

“You never answered me. What do you want? I know you didn’t just come here to eat my fries.” Diego already sounded less agitated than when he first sat down. Klaus may be a colossal fuck up, but he  _ did _ know his brother and how to soothe his ruffled feathers... knives...  _ whatever _ .

“I just wanted to check in and see how my incredible sutures were healing.” Klaus leaned over trying to peer at the mostly healed, angry red line still going across Diego’s cheek and temple. 

Diego jerked back, knives ruffling again. “You could have kept an eye on it if you had just stayed.” 

Stayed. 

Oh Diego had no idea how much he had wanted to. Convincing Diego to eat waffles and drink enough water to make a race horse jealous was way more entertaining than it should have been. Diego had still been a bit woozy from losing so much blood (and still wouldn’t fucking admit it), so Klaus got him to his bed, (making sure he didn’t land face first on the wound. Diego was practically out cold as soon as his head hit the pillow. Klaus made sure the sutures were still clean and intact, and even thought about getting into the bed with him. But he just couldn’t do it. His hands started to itch, and he needed a fix. He knew he wouldn’t be able stand Diego’s disappointed face when he found out. So he just... didn’t come back. 

Klaus sighed and sat back, resting his hands on the table. “Yeah, well. You know me, forever the disappointment.” 

Diego caught his eye, “Hey, that’s not what I meant.” He reached his hand to rest on top of Klaus’, concern immediately transforming his face, “Are you okay?” 

Ahh yes. Klaus almost forgot. The shakes, the clamminess, now that Diego was looking he probably noticed how sweaty he was. He wasn’t  _ quite _ far enough along for some of the more  _ severe _ effects of withdrawal, (he’d probably regret those fries later) but he was so used to feeling them, that he forgot that Diego  _ wasn’t _ used to seeing them, at least not up close. 

Klaus shrugged, but didn’t take his hand away from Diego’s, it felt like it was tethering him down, keeping him from floating away. It felt  _ nice _ . “As fine as ever, brother mine.” 

“Klaus.” Diego added so much emotion and meaning in that one syllable, Klaus didn’t have the heart or the energy to keep up his usual facade. 

He looked up at Diego, “I can’t do it anymore. It’s too much. Ben won’t even talk to me.” He belatedly realized he was crying. When had  _ that _ started. Well there goes his eyeliner. 

Diego got up and tossed a couple bills on the table before coming around the side, “Come on, let’s go. We’ll get you sorted out.”

Klaus looked up at Diego, he  _ had _ to know if he really meant it. If it really was okay to come to him for help, “Did you mean it? Did you really mean it?”

Diego knew exactly what he was talking about. “Of course. I’m here.” 

Klaus nodded and let Diego help him up and into his car. Klaus didn’t know what was going to happen, but he was relieved Diego hadn’t just left him where he sat, like he deserved.   
  
  


“I’m so proud of you.” Ben praised from the corner of the room.

“Oh  _ fuck you _ . Where were you when I was alone.” Klaus spat back.

“What?” Diego asked, confused.

“Ben is back and being a smug bastard.” Klaus would have expounded on said bastardness, but could only groan as he was overcome by a fit of shakes. Ben just sighed and continued to read whatever ghostly book he had found this time. 

_ Fuck _ . Klaus  _ hated _ this. He hated the shakes and shivers, sweating through clothes and blankets, the pounding headache, his skin feeling like it was trying to crawl away and leave the rest of his body behind. He had  _ absolutely _ regretted those stolen fries, but there was no longer anything in his system to even worry about. 

Worst of all, Klaus hating doing this to Diego. It was  _ his _ bed he was sweating through, his time he was wasting. Klaus hated that he couldn’t do this on his own. That he needed that outside influence to keep him going He hated that on top of all that, he was  _ scared _ . He felt like he was a kid all over again, stuck in that mausoleum, ghosts surrounding him, screaming and shouting for attention. Everytime they tried to touch him, he could feel their limbs pass through him. It just redoubled his shivering until it felt like he was shaking apart.  It was always the worst when he was newly clean, with zero control over anything.  _ Everything _ got through. 

Klaus gasped at the hot touch in the middle of his back and it immediately went away. He belated realized it was so hot, because it was  _ real _ . 

“Please.” Klaus wasn’t even sure if he said it out loud, but that touch held the most relief he had felt since… ever. 

The touch returned and Klaus almost sobbed in relief. It was warm and and soft, and comforting. It felt like wherever that touch was, all the cold, ghostly touches were being erased. He couldn’t untuck himself from the tight ball he was wrapped in, but as the touch rubbed up and down his back, he actually started to relax into the bed. 

Klaus felt the bed dip behind him and then his entire back was warm, and protected, and  _ christ _ , he felt  _ safe _ for the first time in his admittedly patchy memory. 

He relaxed against that heat, belatedly realizing it was Diego, who wrapped around him, whispering softly. It was mostly nonsense, but his gentle words helped drown out the ghosts. Gave him something to  _ focus _ on. 

Klaus took a deep breath, the first he felt like he could take since he started all this. He was actually starting to fall asleep, he must be past the worst of it. Diego was so  _ comfortable _ pressed against him, a constant reminder that he was  _ alive _ , and that he was going to be okay. He wasn’t sure if he could manage again without it.

“Please don’t leave.” 

Diego whispered in his ear, so soft Klaus would later question actually hearing it at all, “I’m not going anywhere.”


End file.
